Appliance for playing a race game



March 5, 1 935. c. B. MOSSE I APPLIANCE FOR PLAYING A RACE GAME Filed Sept. 7, 1955, 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 5, 1935. c, a M0 5 1,993,679

APPLIANCE FOR PLAYING A'RAQEI GAME I Filed Sept. 'r, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 C B 7770S.F&

ven Talz Patented Mar. 5, 1935 I UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE Claude Boileau Mosse, Cannanore, South India Application September 7, 1933, Serial No.-688,504 I In Great Britain June 16, 1932 1 Claim. (Cl. 27386) This invention relates to appliances for playby a curved portion, while rails e may be proing race. games in which av plurality of tokens .vided along the inner side of .the course and, if representing horses or the like are moved over a desired, also along the outer side thereof. The course comprising a number of parallel track transverse lines a dividing this curved portion 5 marked on a suitable flat surface. of the course into sections or spaces are prefer- 5 The primary object of the invention is .to proably radial to the centre of curvature and addivide a race game apparatus which in effect .is a tional lines a may be so arranged between these miniature replica of a horse race, and for conradial lines that the numbers of sections or spaces I venience the tokens will be hereinafter termed into which the curved parts of the tracks are dihorses. vided,rprogressively increase from the inside to 1Q A further object of the invention is to provide the outside tracks as clearly shown in Figure 1,

a race game apparatus in which the movement of Before each race commences, the players draw each horse is initially determined by the throw for the tracks tobe traversed by their respective of a die or dice, but is varied to a limited extent horses, the horses securing the tracks nearest 5 in accordance with the wishes of the player to the rails havi'nga proportionate advantage over whom theparticular horse is assigned. the others due to the differentially divided curved The invention consists in a course, over which parts of the tracks. horses are moved by hand, a box-like structure 7 As previously indicated the horses are in turn upon the upper surface of which the courseis moved along their respective tracks over a va- 2 arranged and around which the competing playriable number of sections or spaces according ers are stationed, and means whereby signalling to the throw of the dice, but in order to enable elements can bepassed from each competing playthis movement to be varied in accordance with er to-a controlling player while being concealed the wishes of the players, each player is provided fromthe view of the opposing players. with a box which may be conveniently divided The invention will now be described with refinto three compartments (not shown) each con- 25 erence to the accompanying drawings, in which taining a number of different coloured balls Figure 1 is a plan view-of an appliance con- ,which are'used for conveying signals from the tr C ding .to the invention, competing players to a player who is not compet- Figure 2 is an end elevation of the appliance ing'but who throws the dice for initially detershowing theinterior of the control cabin, mining the movement of all of the horses in turn, 30 Figure 3 is a side elevation of the appliance this player being termed the controller. shown in Figures 1 and 2, and I 4 The controller is stationed at the open end of Figure 4 is a diagrammatical perspective view the box-like structure 0 and the boxes contain- ,of the control cabin. ing the balls may be symmetrically arranged along A As shown in the drawings, the course a is side walls of the box-like structure in spaced re- 35 marked on a green cloth 1) arranged on the fiat lation so that the balls selected by each individual and o l n pper rfa f a ructur having player are obscured from the view of the opposthe form of a box 0 open at one end. The course ing players. The balls are passed from the playeomprises a mb of a l acks a 1- ers to the controller through the interior of the ranged to correspond with the number of horses box-like structure 0. which for this purpose is 40 demployed at each ho se hasaseparate track divided by means of vertical partitions 9 into and these, tracks a e divided y transverse compartments 0 leading from the competing lines a into a numbel Of Spa Sec ons Over players to a control cabin h arranged along the which the horses in turn are mov d in a f ropen end of the said structure 0. This cabin h 1 Ward direction, y a d, the amount f such comprises end and cross members h and k armovement being initially determined by the throw ranged respectively to enable the throw of the of dice. I dice and the reception of the balls by the con- In order to enableithe effect of a real horsetroller to be obscured from the view of the comrace to be attained as far as possible, the horses peting players. Hence, the number thrownby d preferably have the form of miniature models the dice is-only seen by the controller who calls of real horses carrying jockeys, as shown, which out'either the number actually thrown or this models are distinguishable from each other by number varied according to the signal expressed the colour of the jockeys raiment and, if necesby the ball received from the player whose horse sary by the colour of the mounts. In addition, is to be moved.

the course comprises two straight portions joined Apertures c are formed in the walls of the box- 55 'ning out.

like structure to enable the balls to be inserted by the players into the compartments and the said structure is raised at the end remote from the control cabin by means of any suitable support or supports to enable the inserted balls to roll into the control cabin. The underside of the structure 0 and the partitions g are extended at the open end of the structure, as shown in Figure 1, to facilitate the extraction of the balls, and in addition detachable stops g in the form of wooden blocks may be provided at the open ends of the compartments for preventing the balls from run- These stops, which are marked with numbers representing the difierent tracks, are varied in position before each race according to the draw hereinbefore referred to. In order to facilitate the insertion of the balls into the compartments c, a cup 0 is secured to the wall of the box-like structure adjacent each of the openings 0 so that a ball placed in the cup will pass through the corresponding opening c Assuming now that there are eight horses competing in a series of say four consecutive races which constitute a so-called race meeting, each player may be provided with twelve red balls, twelve white balls and twelve green balls. The thirty-six balls thus constituted suffice for all of the races and the players can use them as they choose, i. e. some for each race or all for one race.

A red ball sent to the controller indicates that the sender wishes to accelerate his horse and the controller thereupon calls out double the number thrown by the dice. A white ball received by the controller indicates that the sender desires to check his horse, for instance, either preparatory to a jump, to be hereinafter described, or for any other reasons best known to the racing public, and the controller accordingly calls out half the number thrown by the dice (half of one being considered as one, half of three being considered as two, and half of five being considered as three). A green ball received by the controller indicates that the sender does not wish tovary the actual number thrown by the dice and the object of sending a ball of this colour to the controller is merely to mislead the other competing players because the balls can be heard passing through the compartments oi the box-like structure.

Hence, neither the other competing players nor the onlookers attending the game are aware when ahorse is being checked by a particular player and only occasionally when the horse is being accelerated, i. e. when the controller calls out a number greater than six.

Instead of the box-like structure 0 being divided into the compartments 0' for leading the balls fro n the competing players to the controller, the balls may be passed to the controller by way of inclined metal tubes passing through the interior of the box-like structure.

As indicated above, jumps or obstacles i may be arranged at predetermined intervals along the course and both in front of and behind these jumps a certain number of track spaces may be coloured red. When a horse arrives in these spaces, it is said to refuse or fall and misses one throw of the dice.

A miniature objection fiagstaff y carrying a red and a white ball 7" and 7' respectively may be pro vided adjacent the winning post as on an actual race course and these balls may beoperated by the controller through the agency of strings passing under the box-like structure and over a pulley, not shown. At the end of each race the controller throws two dice and if a double six turns up he states that an objection is lodged to the winning horse. If on a further throw of the two dice ten or more turns up then the winning horse is said to be disqualified.

In order to create further interest in a meeting of say, four .races, the horses all start on the scratch line for the first race but after each race the horses occupying the first three places are handicapped in the next race, that is to say, are made to start a certain number of spaces behind the scratch line. a

It is to be understood that interest in the races is not confined to the particular players engaged because betting may take place for counters or cash with or without a totalizator and hence, onlookers who are not actively concerned can be interested.

The game may be played in a room on, for instance, the dining-room table, or out of doors before a large attendance, and takes approximately the same time per race as a real horse race.

It is to be understood that the actual construction and disposition of the control cabin and ball containing boxes can be varied to suit requirements, and that the limit to the number of players actively engaged in the game is imposed solely by the dimensions of the box-like structure. A convenient size for the upper flat surface of the latter, however, is for example, 5 6" x 3' 6" which allows eight competing players to be engaged in the game, these players being stationed in the vicinity of their respective ball collecting box.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:--

A game comprising in combination a gameboard having indicated thereon a race-course with the start and finish at the same end of the game-board, said race-course being divided by lines into a plurality of parallel tracks and with the tracks divided by transverse lines into successive spaces; a plurality of distinctively colored markers, representing difi'erent horses, adapted to be moved along the respective tracks'to indicate the progress of the game; a plurality of station receptacles, corresponding to the number of tracks, arranged around the game-board, to designate the positions of the players; a series of balls adapted to be contained collectively in each of the station receptacles, said balls having distinctive markings to indicate different plays in moving the markers along the tracks; a cup mounted on the game-board adjacent to each of the station receptacles and adapted to receive an individual ball taken from the adjacent receptacle; a series of pockets at the end of the game-board adjacent to the start and finish of the tracks; said pockets corresponding in number to the tracks; and declined guide-ways leading to the respective pockets from the corresponding cups to carry the balls deposited in said cups to said pockets, said pockets being open so that the markings of the balls contained therein may be observed and the markers moved on their respective tracks in accordance with the plays indicated by the corresponding balls.

CLAUDE BOILEAU MOSSE. 

